Was Resident Evil (2022) Really that bad, or are gamers just miserable?

*This review will be mostly spoiler free! Read at your own discretion, but I will mainly be covering “key” plot points without revealing too many major twists (Maybe one, but here's a warning ).

Zombies, infected, mutants, and zeroes, whatever you call them no series has left an imprint in fans' minds or the gaming industry the way Resident Evil has. A pioneer of the survival horror genre, the franchise had a slight dip in the mid-2000s but with a movie franchise under its belt, and numerous successful games and HD remakes since, it's safe to say the Capcom IP has been on the up and up since the days of boulder punching assholes. 2022’s Netflix adaptation of the franchise has some fans questioning the upward trajectory, however, as reviews are less than savory. In a post-gamergate, post-trump, and (mostly) post-Anita Sarkeesian world, “woke” has become a derogatory word- and it’s one fanboys all over the internet have used to describe the Netflix original Resident Evil. But could a show that excellently showcased a live-action version of popular monsters, and fan-favorite characters like Wesker really be all that bad, or are fans just doomed to always be displeased when game franchises hit the screen?

Upon first impressions, I found myself pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed the trailer for the new portrayal of Resident Evil. Granted, I’m sure I had only seen a trailer at the time, I saw Cerberus and was sold almost instantly. The release of the series snuck up on me, and I ended up binging it in just under two days. The show’s first season only has 8 episodes at about an hour each, which is a pretty modest watch time for how many plot points this show follows.

Like in Netflix’s other polarizing live-action game adaptation The Witcher, the show time skips (or flashes back…) as a means to add layers to the storytelling. In short the A line is that we the viewers are following Jade Wesker (portrayed by Ella Balinska) in present time, as she observes infected and outruns the clutches of the Umbrella Academy in order to get home to her partner and daughter. The B line set in the past follows a 14-year-old flashback version of Jade (played by Tamara Smart) and her twin sister Billie Wesker (Played by Siena Agudong) -both daughters of The Albert Wesker (perfectly executed by Lance Reddick). Billie does have a face-off with Cerberus early on, and the show then follows the repercussions of that.

With one of the key elements of storytelling here being time-skipping, many fans assume a lot of the plot twists early on, by the fourth episode almost all players are on the board and that is when the storyline begins to unravel, move forward, and answer questions that had been asked leading up to this point. However, at four episodes in that is half of the runtime of the show is spent just setting up the plot. With a weekly release model, the setup of each episode would be passable, the show is easily bingeable for anyone with the slightest bit of curiosity because each episode leaves on a cliffhanger, and if anything you would at least want to see how Jade’s story ends.

This brings to attention the second selling point (and possible flaw) in the show's storytelling. The show takes place after the events of the Resident Evil games, it is said to be a “continuation of the canon” unlike the Resident Evil movies which ultimately established their own continuity with homages and characters throughout. The Netflix series makes it clear it is not a retelling of the games that came before it, it leaves one of the most confusing plot points and characters unaddressed until the penultimate of the season. Albert Wesker is showcased here being the ultimate single father, moving his girls to the Umbrella Corp Community of New Raccoon City. While his work keeps him busy he tries his best to make sure his girls are happy and healthy, even regularly taking samples of their blood to do so. Lance Reddick truly owns this iteration of Wesker. His presence adds a layer of tension to even common settings like principals' offices, and he commands respect when he needs to. The only confusing thing about this, in this well-established timeline? Albert Wesker is dead.

This key detail, and the girls' relation to Wesker (with no mention of his son Jake Mueller), was what kept me and many fans interested. At the halfway point of the show, there were just enough monsters and infected to keep me interested, and I was waiting to see if future Wesker would make an appearance with the current timeline Jade. The show does deliver on answering any questions it set up barring one cliffhanger that is presumably to set up for a second season. The idea that there's something to keep fans interested in would be positive, but the vague writing and character development drive home that it was the afterthought when picking the series.

Fighting scenes, monsters, chases and even clever easter eggs like the type-writer saferoom make the show a fun watch for the more detail-oriented fans such as myself. The use of music and dynamic angles combined with the lighting and sheer amount of infected that cram into the frame really drives home how many infected there are, and how overwhelming it is. The more cinematic scenes feel a bit campier than the Resident Evil movies, but they have the heart of the same games that brought us the “Jill Sandwich” line, or any of the cheese jumpscares from the latest games.

The first half of the season gives us fights against Cerberus, hordes of infected in open and closed-off spaces, and a chaotic and heart-racing chase from Umbrella, which leads into a scene with my personal favorite infected, the Lickers. The reveal of these monsters and the showcasing of Umbrella's arsenal show that someone in the show cares about the IP. But when the focus is on someone with the last name Wesker doing average zombie-survival stuff, it fails to deliver on feeling like an actual Resident Evil project. This is perhaps my biggest gripe with the show personally, and the second half of the series does give us elaboration on the characters as a whole, and this is where most other fans have their gripes, but in the name of compelling storytelling, I think it was just okay. In each storyline every character hosts their own goals and ambitions that aren’t simply spelled out for viewers but have details added with each new scene, adding to the slow-burn effect.

From a television aspect, the show was shot wonderfully. Most notably the series' art direction was led by Mark Walker, with cinematography by Carmen Cabana. Each director on the show directed two episodes, and they feel uniform in nature for the most part. The stylistic choices of Cabana are evident when noting her other works like Narcos and Disney+’s Ms.Marvel. Love it or hate it, each show has its own stylistic integrity from the stark red used in Umbrella scenes when the alarms sound, to the slate gray and white of New Raccoon City and the laboratory during other scenes, this is no different. Each setting evokes whatever emotion it intends to, and it is this detail I personally believe kept my interest the most, outside of the monsters. When there was a shift in emotion, and something like rage or fear within someone's inner mind was depicted, the way it was portrayed almost made me uncertain if it was actually happening or all in the character's head- which was the intended effect. For a tv show to garner the feeling of familiarity with the other movies and games in the franchise based on setting (and very liberal use of dutch and skewed camera angles), it hit the nail on the head.

So why do so many people have an issue with the show? Besides the “too many tropes” pitfall (which the show admittedly has plenty of), if you look at the Rotten Tomatoes reviews you’ll see numerous complaints of needless diversity, the show being stolen by a character that isn’t the lead, convoluted and confusing plotlines, and a lack of zombies. There is almost always an ounce of truth when fan reviews seem almost unanimous however, it’s my belief that if a season two were to happen, the reviews would change the tune.

With many unanswered questions and the second half of the story picking up from a narrative standpoint, it is clear that the Wesker lineage has so much more to be written. The issue with a character like Albert Wesker, and a strong actor like Lance Reddick playing him is that he will always steal the scene. The once mysterious man did it in the games, for many fans in the movies, and here is no different. The character is a mastermind and a powerhouse, and without him, Jade and Billie would not exist. I do not think this is the fault of the writing or anyone in the cast. Fan reception is moot when the casting of Wesker called for a black man to play him, meaning many fans went into the show with the notion of “forced diversity” in their head when in actuality, no other actor (except maybe Giancarlo Esposito) could play such a role and garner strong reactions as either a protagonist or antagonist. With where the show left off, there is plenty more to be seen of the Wesker lineage, and the aftermath of what happened in New Raccoon City could have dire consequences before meeting Jade where she was at the start of the show.

The lack of infected monsters is a major gripe. We saw it happen with the “too much character development” complaining in Jurassic World: Dominion, and in the latest batch of Godzilla movies. As long as the film is evolving, I fear this will be a delicate balance few creators will achieve. This is multiplied with every episode on television, and only exacerbated when every episode releases at once, and many fans can watch it within a day. While I certainly would’ve loved more monster face-offs, too many infected would make the threat less notable, as we’ve seen an entire community shaken by the appearance of one infected, and when there are many, mostly faceless Umbrella footmen die, inherently lessening the stakes- especially when a few key players are immune or have endless arsenals to deal with the threat.

When it comes to the “tropes” complaint, I have little input. Since its conception Resident Evil has had a bit of campiness to it, the characters we know and love now have had years if not decades to develop into what fans currently love. When following a pair of teenage girls whose dad is the Albert Wesker, of course, they are going to fall short in terms of development, acting based on emotion, and making confusing choices they are still finding themselves while living in a world built by the Umbrella Corporation. Knowing the main character grows to be a scientist with many of the same habits she had as a youth, makes the two timelines feel more connected and grounded, especially as she runs from her past mistakes the same way she runs from infected. The idea of the strong lesbian mother was far from cheesy as it just seemed logical that the C.E.O. of Umbrella wouldn’t want a biological kid either way (in my opinion). Many complaints of “forced diversity” come from a place of bigotry- as race has nothing to do with the storyline, and aside from one or two throwaway lines, neither does sexuality. Ultimately any choices the characters made, made them feel more fleshed out with each passing episode, as any good show should.

All things considered, it isn’t perfect but I give the show a 6.5/10 and would love to see a second season. If the runtime was longer it would be amazing to see what other scientific milestones Jade could come up with, or answer more questions about Billie, Albert, and Umbrella. The foreshadowing was a bit too straightforward for my taste, but the storytelling elements utilized made it feel less boring than it would have if shown in chronological order. The nods to the games felt fun, and the monsters felt scary, which is all I personally could ask from this title, and it's my belief that many fans would benefit from lowering their expectations just the same. If the show were to follow key characters more closely, it’d jeopardize changing fan reception, lore, and the effect on the overall franchise. It’s clear that many errors in the show were not at the fault of the creatives, but executives and producers who have no stakes in the franchise itself. It is my belief that not every show needs to be perfect to be enjoyable, and you can still view something critically without hating it completely. Overall, the narrative could benefit from at least one more season and truly has the potential to create something amazing.